Mary Star of the Sea

Billy Corgan is back - and he smashes all rock hype into understatement with Zwan. Arena-folk-metal-punk, a rampaging triple-guitar attack and pop melodies, glam grandeur and sophisticated twists, Zwan is the band he's wanted from the moment his Smashing Pumpkins hit the big time. Reprise. 2003.

Having dramatically misjudged their audience's loyalty to skewed, art-damaged heavy metal, the Smashing Pumpkins called it a day shortly after the release of 2000's low-grossing Machina/The Machines of God. Three years later, frontman Billy Corgan returns with an all-star team of mostly Chicago indie rockers at his side, including Slint/Tortoise guitarist Dave Pajo, Skunk guitarist Matt Sweeney, A Perfect Circle bassist Paz Lenchantin, and fellow Pumpkin Jimmy Chamberlain on drums. But Zwan has not blunted the singer's flamboyant edge. His bonkers vocal gymnastics and whisper-to-a-scream choruses remain at the black heart of Mary Star of the Sea, as the group works its way through the rich melodies of new classics like "Honestly" and "Endless Summer," and pleasingly shifts into downtempo mood on the gorgeous "Of a Broken Heart" and gripping "Desire." And while Corgan's tendency toward self-indulgence results in the tedious 14-minute "Jesus, I/Mary Star of the Sea," it is just a minor lapse considering the rest of the big, glamorous rock on display here. --Aidin Vaziri